But that had been before the interminable waste of the Grass War and the long train of young women and men in front of my desk with the trinkets they thought would give them a chance of not becoming food for crows in a field somewhere.

Alec Austin enjoys fantasy fiction which draws on the complexity of real history. He’s a game designer, media scholar, former nuclear reactor operator, and an alumnus of Clarion West and Viable Paradise. Alec’s prior work has appeared in Analog, Strange Horizons, multiple times in Beneath Ceaseless Skies, and other venues. He’s @AlecAustin on Twitter.

"a satisfying mix of magic, Cold War-style espionage, and revenge... more original worldbuilding than a shelf full of doorstoppers. (Austin) has become someone whose name I look forward to seeing" --Fletcher Vredenburgh, Black Gate

"The theme is the evil of unquestioning obedience to orders, of letting this serve to justify the worst atrocities. Turghar and his soldiers have a lot to atone for, but it takes distance to allow them to see it. Recommended." —Lois Tilton, Locus online